A provincial advocacy group is calling on the Ford government to support a care system for people with environmentally linked conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and chemical sensitivities.
Care Now Ontario says it put a business case to the Ministry of Health a decade ago.
Treasurer Adrianna Tetley says after four ministers, the Ministry still hasn’t acted on its suggestions.
“There is no care in our public care system for people with these conditions. Ontario has no standards, no clinical pathways, no medical schools that teach, let alone specialize in these conditions, no systematic research, and very few doctors who understand these conditions. This is despite international research and exemplary clinics around the world,” says Tetley.
Care Now Ontario estimates over one million Ontarians suffer from one of the conditions.
Advocates say people affected face discrimination and stigma.
A report from the Task Force on Environmental Health notes that because so few doctors understand the symptoms or know how to treat them, those affected often end up getting unnecessary tests and seeing many different specialists.
Care Now, Ontario would like the province to implement funding for an Ontario Center of Excellence with regional clinics across the province staffed primary care providers knowledgeable about environmentally linked conditions.
It also wants the government to fund research and develop clinical curriculum for Ontario universities to incorporate within the research projects and medical schools and public health schools so that healthcare professionals can begin to recognize the conditions.
